Very olde family tree blogge

An image is put up here of a VERRY olde document from the Fitzpatrick family, but I have no clues yet about exactly when it was written, by whom, or even what kind of paper it was!


(The images will be too small to read - just click on one to open it up & then remember to use your 'BACK' button to return here. Sorry it's all split up - it was very long & scanners only do A4!)


It is the kind of record normally written inside a family bible, so perhaps this is a copy for some cousins? It is one long piece of paper, like a scroll - there are no joins! (unlike in this image) Probably just a nice exercise for Handwriting practise! There are no dates of deaths, which suggests to me it was written before anyone named on it had died. (can anyone work that out for me?)

I've just been struck with the similarity of what's been done in this olde document & what I'm trying to do here in this blog. Wonder if anyone will be able to read this 'document' in 100 years!! (Certainly the links would fail!)

Many Thanks to Tina for passing this interesting document on to me. I have scanned it - as you can see, so now if anyone else would like to look after the original, I'll pass it on.

It neatly confirms/reiterates a few facts from other sources.
I've transcribed it here:

Thomas Fitzpatrick
Born June 11th 1853
{town - I can't read it}
County Tipperary
Ireland
-
Frances Ranson
Born Feb 14th 1854
Dragon Villa
Carvillia
Co. Durham
-
Thomas and Frances Fitzpatrick
Married January 11th (or 4th?) 1881
At St. Charles Church
Tudhoe
By the Rev. Canon Watson
-
Margaret Ellen Fitzpatrick
Born March 16th 1882
Tudhoe Grange
-
Bridget Fitzpatrick
Born May 16th 1883
Tudhoe Grange
-
Mary Hannah Fitzpatrick
Born March 31st 1885
Tudhoe Grange
-
William Fitzpatrick
Born August 29th 1886
Tudhoe Village
-
Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
Born January 20th 1888
Tudhoe Village
-
Thomas Fitzpatrick
Born Oct 24th 1891
Tudhoe Village
-
Frances Fitzpatrick
Born April 17th 1893
Tudhoe Village
-
Catherine Fitzpatrick
Born Feb 25th 1895
Tudhoe Village

I had 2yrs between my two pregnancies.  So when reading through this, I was struck by the very small gaps between pregnancies in some cases.
Also that Frances Ranson was born on Valentine's Day.
Note that the three older children were born in Tudhoe Grange rather than Tudhoe Village. That would be further along the road into Spennymoor.

There are a few differences between what we thought we knew and what is shown here - in all cases though, I can't be sure which is true. The additional details of the actual dates (Feb 14th etc.) does suggest that the author had the Registrar's certificates of Birth & Marriage in front of them, however. Most of the differences are minor, but this first one may tell:

• The marriage is said to be in 1881 - we thought it was 1882 (a date I have seen confirmed on the online database of the Registry Office). It is noteable that the first child was born in 1882. It was not uncommon for dates on marriage or birth certificates to be altered to make every one feel better.
• Thomas (Senior) born in 1853 - we thought it was 1852.
• I can't read the town in Tipperary - none fit from this list I found. Later found to be Nenagh.
• Frances' birthplace Dragon Villa now known as Dragonville, Carvillia now spelt Carrville. (These will be the same towns - just spelt in a different way?) As Mum said, those towns would have seemed a world away from Tudhoe at that time.

Many more notes were also sent to me - so you'll see there are many extra details added scattergun throughout the blog pages on the Fitzpatrick as well as the Sennett families. Thanks again to Tina for all of her help, and huge thanks to Mum for her help in deciphering some of it!!